Bird Watching

Bhutan is a paradise for bird watchers. On the world scale, the country is recognized as forming the major part of an area of especially high biological diversity known as the Eastern Himalayan "Hot spot." Over 770 bird species have been recorded in Bhutan so far and many more species are likely to occur. This is a large number for the size of the country.

There are ten bird species in Bhutan, which have been identified as globally threatened by Bird Life International. These include the Black-necked Crane, one of the World's rarest and least known cranes, which traditionally winters in Bhutan, the Rufous-necked Hornbill, Blyth's Tragopan, and Blyth’s King fisher, Ward's Trogon, the chestnut-breasted partridge, the white-bellied heron, Wood snipe and Pallas's Fish Eagle. In addition, Bhutan is also home to winter visitors which breed farther north, such as migrant thrushes and for many breeding summer migrants including cuckoos and flycatchers. Most of Bhutan’s resident birds are Altitudinal migrants, which move up and down the mountains depending on the season and weather conditions.

Bhutan may also be internationally important for 114 species, which may have significant breeding population in the country. These birds have breeding ranges, which are restricted to an area encompassing the Himalayas, northeast India, northern south East Asia and southwest China.